What Your Sleeping Style Says About Your Personality

It’s a universal truth: Every night, millions of people turn out the lights and tuck themselves into bed for a good night’s sleep. But did you know the way you sleep says a lot about your personality? According to Professor Chris Idzikowski, Director of the UK-based Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, your sleeping position can reveal secrets about who you are as an individual.

Let’s take a deeper look into your sleeping habits…

Soldier

This position is just like it sounds; you like to sleep on your back with your arms by your side and close to your body – as if you are “standing at attention.” Some solider sleepers also like to lie on their back with their hands folded over their chests. A rigid sleeping pattern like this one implies that you may be an introvert. You tend to be a perfectionist and have higher standards than the rest of us. Salute! Soldiers account for 8 per cent of all sleepers.

Freefall

Reminiscent of the song, “Free Falling” by Tom Petty, if you are a freefaller, you sleep on your side or belly, with your arms tucked around or under your pillow. Your head is turned to either side, peaceful and serene. Freefallers are extroverts. They like socializing and are congenial and friendly. Only 7 percent of the population is categorized as freefallers.

Starfish

Ah, the sound of waves gently sliding onto a sun-soaked beach. Starfish sleepers like to lie on their backs or sometimes stomachs with legs and arms stretched out – like a star. A small 5 percent of sleepers are starfish. Professor Idzikowski’s studies indicate that starfish sleepers are good people and make great friends. They are open to ideas and can lend an ear if you need to talk. They like to stay out of the limelight and remain incognito.

Fetal

This makes up for about 41 percent of all sleeping positions. Curled with your knees to your chest and your hands by your cheek, this popular position is held by the majority of women. You are like a baby in your mother’s womb, all cuddly and soft. What does it say about you? You like your privacy; a hard shell, but a warm heart. You can be standoffish at first, but then you slowly let people enter into your realm.

Log

In 1871, Mark Twain penned a letter to Olivia Clemens stating that he, “turned in and slept like a log – I don’t mean a brisk, fresh, green log, but an old dead, soggy rotten one, that never turns over or gives a yelp.” There are variations of the log position, however, professionals agree that if you sleep like a log, you sleep on one side with both arms straight at your sides, or tucked in for a fetal-log combo. This means you are a sociable sort who can be naïve and gullible. Take heart, Mark Twain was a log sleeper, too.

Yearning

When you yearn for something or someone, you feel melancholy and mellow. This contorted-seeming position must be effective, because 13 percent of all sleepers are yearners. A yearner sleeps on one side with arms stretched. If you are a yearner, you can be fickle, opting to get to know someone before jumping in and starting a friendship. You may also be cynical and cautious.

So, what is your typical sleep position? Keep in mind that the way you sleep may depend on the setting – in a tent, a cabin, on the couch or in your own bed. And in any given night, you may take on all of these positions, not just one. Whatever your sleep position, you ideally want to sleep through the night wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and energized. After all, a good night’s sleep is essential for great health. Sweet dreams!